JP2003149754A - Hinge unit, and document feeder and image processor equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain image data of high quality by an image processor which is adaptive to a still document read and a moving document read by eliminating a position shift of a cover unit which can be elevated from a main body unit during the moving document read. SOLUTION: The hinge unit for pivoting the cover unit on the main body unit in a free openable/closable state has a fitting-in part which is fitted in a hinge reception part provided in the main body unit and can slide up and down in the hinge reception part, a hinge fitting part which is fixed to the cover unit, a rotary shaft which connects the fitting-in part and hinge fitting part rotatably to each other, and a position engagement part which engages the hinge reception part of the main body unit or a positioning support member provided nearby it when the cover unit is at its closure position while having its reverse surface brought into contact with the top surface of the main body unit; when the cover unit is closed to the main body unit, the closure position of the cover unit for the main body unit is guided to a specified position.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hinge device for pivotally supporting a cover unit with respect to a main body unit so that the cover unit can be opened and closed, and a document feeding device provided with the hinge device (hereinafter
"ADF"), and further relates to an image processing device in which the ADF is attached to the image reading device via a hinge device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ADF is openably and closably mounted via a hinge means, and an image corresponding to two reading methods of a stationary original reading method for reading a thick original such as a book and a moving original reading method conveyed by the ADF are provided. A reading device, and a copying device, a facsimile device, or a printing device (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “image processing device” in the present application) equipped with such an image reading device have been widely used.

In such an image processing apparatus, when a thick original such as a book is read, the lower surface of the original feeding device presses the thick original onto a stationary original platen (hereinafter referred to as "book platen"). Therefore, the document feeding device serves as a cover unit. here,
It is desirable that the entire surface of the original reading surface is in contact with the platen surface in order to perform precise image reading of the original. If a part of the document reading surface is separated from the platen surface, the white background of the image becomes black or the image is blurred.

Therefore, regardless of whether the original is a thick original such as a book or a single thin original, the cover unit is arranged so that the surface of the original to be read contacts the surface of the book platen uniformly. A hinge device is used which is configured to be able to move up and down while maintaining a parallel state with respect to a surface.

As an example of such a hinge device that can be moved up and down with respect to the book platen surface, an actual flat plate 2-49934.
An example of the document feeder is a document feeder.

In this conventional technique, a sliding shaft member is provided on a hinge member having a swing shaft for opening and closing the document feeder, and a bearing member for axially supporting the sliding shaft member in the main body of the copying machine. Is provided to support the entire document feeder so that it can move up and down with respect to the platen surface of the copying machine body.

[0007]

However, the bearing member ("hinge receiving portion" in the present application) provided in the main body of the copying machine.
In order for the sliding shaft member (“fitting portion” in the present application) that is removably inserted into the bearing to move up and down smoothly in the bearing member, the hole size of the bearing member that receives the sliding shaft member is required. Is larger than the sectional size of the sliding shaft member. Therefore, in the inserted state (fitted state), backlash occurs between the two.

If the ADF forming the cover unit is closed on the upper surface of the image processing apparatus in such a state, the closed position of the ADF on the upper surface of the image processing apparatus will not be determined.

To read a moving document using the ADF,
Since the original document conveyed in the conveyance path in the ADF of the upper unit is read by the optical reading means installed in the lower unit, the ADF on the upper surface of the image processing apparatus is read.
If the closed position of is not determined, the image data acquired by the optical reading unit will be distorted or disturbed, and high-quality image reading cannot be performed.

According to the present invention, a cover unit such as a document feeding device is configured to be able to move up and down, and when the cover unit is closed, a deviation with respect to a main body unit such as a document reading device is eliminated to obtain high quality image data. The purpose is to get.

[0011]

Therefore, the present invention is a hinge device for supporting the cover unit in an openable and closable manner with respect to the main body unit, and is fitted with a hinge receiving portion provided in the main body unit. Then, in the hinge receiving portion, a fitting portion that can slide up and down, a hinge mounting portion that is fixed to the cover unit, and a rotation that pivotally supports the hinge mounting portion with respect to the fitting portion. And a positioning support member provided in the main body unit when the lower surface of the cover unit is closed to a closed position where the lower surface of the cover unit is in contact with the upper surface of the main body unit. The hinge device is provided with a positioning engagement portion that is guided to a position.

Here, a first example of the positioning engaging portion is to be engaged with a recess provided in the positioning supporting member.

A second example of the positioning engagement portion is supported by an elongated hole-shaped opening provided in the positioning support member.

Here, the hinge device further comprises height adjusting means for adjusting the lower limit position of the fitting portion which is vertically slidable with respect to the hinge receiving portion. Further, both ends of the rotation shaft may be configured to engage with the positioning support member, and the rotation shaft may also serve as the positioning engagement portion.

Further, in the hinge device for supporting the cover unit so as to be openable and closable with respect to the main body unit, a hinge device main body having a fitting portion which is fitted in a hinge receiving portion provided in the main body unit so as to be able to move up and down. A supporting device provided on the main body unit for positioning the lowered hinge device main body at a predetermined position, and a positioning engaging portion is provided on one of the hinge device main body and the supporting device, and the other on the other side. A hinge device is provided which is provided with a positioning guide part for guiding the positioning engaging part to a predetermined position when the hinge device body is lowered.

The hinge device main body has a rotation shaft that supports the cover unit so that the cover unit can be opened and closed, and the rotation shaft is provided with one of the positioning engagement portion and the positioning guide portion. In addition, the positioning guide portion includes a U-shaped or V-shaped concave portion that guides the positioning engagement portion to a predetermined position.

At least one of the hinge device body and the supporting device is provided with an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the supporting position.

The present invention further has a hinge device attached to an image reading device for reading an image of a document,
In a document feeding device that is attached to the image reading device via the hinge device so as to be openable and closable, and conveys a document to the image reading device, the hinge device is a hinge provided in the image reading device. The hinge is composed of a hinge device main body having a fitting part that fits up and down with respect to the receiving part, and a supporting device that is attached to the image reading device and positions the lowered hinge device main body at a predetermined position. A document having a positioning engagement portion provided on one of the apparatus main body and the supporting device, and a positioning guide portion for guiding the positioning engagement portion to a predetermined position when the hinge device main body descends on the other. A paper feeding device and an image processing device are provided.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of a hinge device according to the present invention, and a document feeder and an image processing device equipped with the hinge device will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an image processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention.
2 is an overall cross-sectional view of the image processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.
Is a main body unit 90 such as an image processing apparatus including the optical reading unit 30, and a document feeder (A) attached to the main body unit 90 so as to be openable and closable by a hinge device 20.
DF) 40 and the upper cover unit 80.

The main body unit 90 includes a main body cover 35, and on the upper surface thereof, after the cover unit 80 is opened,
A stationary original platen (hereinafter referred to as "book platen") 24 made of a transparent glass plate on which a thick original such as a book is placed and the image data is read.
Is built in.

On the left side of the book platen 24 of the main body unit 90, a moving original platen (sheet through platen) 23 for reading an original sheet carried by the ADF 40 and a sheet passing through the sheet through platen 23 are guided. And a guide 91 for operating.
Like the book platen 24, the sheet through platen 23 is made of a transparent member such as a glass plate and is formed in a thin strip shape in the main scanning direction (depth direction in the drawing). Book platen 24, sheet through platen 23, guide 91
Other parts are covered with a main body cover 35 in order to prevent unwanted light from entering from the outside of the device. The main body cover 35 is provided with a hinge receiving portion 18, which will be described later.

The optical reading means 30 built in the main body cover 35 is composed of a light source 26, reflecting mirrors 27-1 and 27-2, a condenser lens 28 and an image sensor 29. When reading image data of a document carried in by the ADF 40, the optical reading means 30 is moved under the sheet through platen 23, light from the light source 26 is applied to the document surface, and the reflected light is reflected by the first reflecting mirror 27-. The first and second reflecting mirrors 27-2 send the light to the condenser lens 28, and the condenser lens 2
The light focused by 8 is received by the image sensor 29. When a thick original such as a book is read, as shown in FIG. 1, the light source 26,
The optical reading means 30 in which the reflecting mirrors 27-1 and 27-2, the condenser lens 28, and the image sensor 29 are mounted on one carriage moves under the book platen 24 from the left side to the right side (sub scanning direction) in the drawing. Meanwhile, the image data on the document surface is read.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the example of the one-carriage type image processing apparatus is described as the main body unit 90. However, the light source and the light from the document illuminated by the light source are reflected. A reflecting mirror mounted on the first carriage moves under the book platen 24, and a reflecting mirror mounted on a second carriage separate from the first carriage synchronizes with the movement of the first carriage. It goes without saying that the present invention is also applicable to a two-carriage type image processing apparatus configured to move at half speed.

The ADF 40 accommodates a stack of document sheets and regulates the side edges of the document by the side plate 33.
1, a sheet feeding unit 82 for separating and feeding out the original sheets on the sheet feeding tray 31, one by one, a conveying unit 85 having a conveying path for conveying the original sheets, and a conveying unit 85 for conveying the original document to a reading position, and a reading process. A sheet ejecting unit 86 for ejecting the ejected original sheet, an ejection tray 32 for accommodating the sheet ejected from the sheet ejecting unit 86, and an original sheet pressure plate 8 for pressing an original sheet or a book placed on the book platen 24. It has and.

A cover unit 80 constituting the ADF 40
Are integrally formed by the cover 41, and the paper feeding means 8
2 is a stopper 56 for aligning the leading end of the original sheet placed on the paper feed tray 31 to the original stop position, a delivery roller 53 for delivering the original sheet by contacting the uppermost original sheet, and a delivery roller 53. It is composed of a paper feed roller 55 for feeding the document sheet into the document carry-in path (between the conveyance guides 83 and 84), a separation pad 54 for pairing with the paper feed roller 55 and separating the document sheet.

Further, the conveying means 85 has a pair of registration rollers 52 for relaying the original sheets separated and fed out one by one by the paper feeding means 82 and feeding them to the downstream portion of the original conveying path, and an original sheet sensor ( (Not shown), and a pair of transport rollers 61 and 62 for loading the original sheet onto the sheet through platen 23.

Further, the sheet discharging means 86 conveys the read original sheet by the conveying rollers 62, and the discharging path 8
It has a pair of discharge rollers 70 for receiving via 1 and sending it onto the discharge tray 32.

Then, the feed-in path of the original sheet to the sheet-through platen 23 and the discharge path 81 from the sheet-through platen 23 in the ADF 40 start from the sheet-feeding means 82 of the original sheet, and are directed toward the lower sheet-through platen 23 side. It has a curved shape in a convex shape.

The document reading position P is a position facing the sheet through platen 23. The original is supported by the sheet-through platen 23 on the lower reading surface and conveyed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover unit 80 is opened with respect to the main body unit 90 with the hinge device 20 as an axis. By opening the cover unit 80,
A thick document or the like can be placed on the book platen 24.

As described above, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention
In 00, the ADF 40 that is the cover unit 80
Is attached to the main body unit 90 that houses the optical reading means 30 by the hinge device 20 so as to be openable and closable. Further, the hinge device 20 is attached to the main body unit 90 so as to be able to move up and down. The plate 8 comes into contact with the book and slides in the thickness direction by using the contact portion with the book as a lever.
By this sliding, the cover unit 80 can be closed so as to be substantially parallel to the thickness of the book.

Next, the structure of the hinge device 20 is shown in FIG.
It will be described with reference to FIGS. The hinge device 20 is shown in FIG.
The hinge device main body 21 that is installed in the cover unit 80 as described above and supports the cover unit 80 when opening and closing the cover unit 80 and assists the opening and closing of the cover unit 80;
The support device 22 is installed on the 0 side.

The hinge device body 21 includes a body unit 90.
, A fitting portion 17 such as an elongated rod that is removably inserted into a hinge receiving portion 18 such as an elongated insertion hole. The upper portion of the fitting portion 17 is fixed to the mounting member 2 having a substantially U-shaped cross section as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

A curved cam member 5 made of synthetic resin such as Delrin having a curved portion 4 is fixed between both side plates 2a, 2a of the mounting member 2 via a rotary shaft 6.
The rotating shaft 6 also serves as the positioning engagement portion of the present invention.

One ends of both side plates 7a, 7a of the spring supporting member 7 of the hinge device main body 21 are rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 6, and the mounting plate 7 provided on the spring supporting member 7 is connected.
b and 7b (hinge mounting portions) are fixed to a metal frame 87 that supports the cover unit 80.

Inside the spring support member 7, there is accommodated a slider 9 provided with a spring accommodating portion 9a as shown in FIG. 6, and this slider 9 is made of metal which abuts against the bending portion 4 of the bending cam member 5. Shaft portion 10 is attached, and a pair of attachment portions 9 are provided so as to sandwich the curved cam member 5 from both sides.
b and 9b are provided in a protruding manner, and the guide elongated holes 9c and 9c provided in the mounting portions 9b and 9b are engaged with the rotary shaft 6. The slider 9 has recessed grooves 9d, 9d formed on both sides opposite to the side where the elongated guide holes 9c, 9c are provided.
Both side plates 7a, 7 of the spring support member 7 are provided with the grooves 9d, 9d.
It is engaged with the ridges 7c, 7c protruding from a. A compression coil spring 11 is elastically provided between the slider 9 and the bottom plate 7d of the spring support member 7 while partially storing it in the spring storage portion 9a.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the support device 22. The support device 22 is configured as follows. Support device 2
Reference numeral 2 includes base plates 13 and 14 and side plates 15 and 15 which are positioning support members. The base plates 13 and 14 are provided with two elongated holes 25 so that they can be fixed to the upper surface of the main body unit 90 with screws so that their positions can be adjusted. The side plates 15 and 15 are provided with guide portions, for example, V-shaped or U-shaped concave portions 16 that engage with the rotary shaft 6 of the hinge device main body 21 and perform positioning.

The concave portion 16 is provided with a guide surface for guiding the rotary shaft 6 to the positioning position, and the lower limit position and the forward and backward positioning are performed at the positioning position.

Next, the supporting device 22 and the hinge device main body 21.
The attachment and operation of will be described. First, the support device 22 is fixed to the attachment position of the main body unit 90 with a screw through the elongated hole 25. Then, the fitting portion 17 is slidably inserted into the hinge receiving portion 18 provided in the main body unit 90. The rotary shaft 6 attached to the hinge attachment member 2 of the hinge device body 21 is engaged with the recess 16 of the support device 22 from above the body unit 90. As a result, the rotary shaft 6 is engaged with the recess 16 and is supported in a rotatable state. As a result, the hinge device main body 21 has a function of allowing the cover unit 80 to be opened and closed and at the same time being capable of sliding up and down.

Therefore, when the cover unit 80 is closed with respect to the book platen 24 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the shaft portion 10 has the starting end of the bending portion 4 of the bending cam member 5 as shown in FIG. Is in contact with the portion 4a, and the rotating shaft 6,
Since each center of the shaft portion 10 and the working axis of the compression coil spring 11 are on the same line, the cover unit 80 maintains the closed state by its own weight and presses the original document (not shown) onto the book platen 24. .

As the cover unit 80 is opened, the spring support member 7 rotates clockwise about the rotation shaft 6 as a fulcrum, and as shown in FIG. 8, the shaft portion 10 slides on the bending portion 4 and gradually moves to the rotation shaft 6. As it approaches, the slider 9 is compressed by the compression coil spring 11.
Is pushed by the elastic force of and slides toward the book platen 24 side. Along with this, the elasticity of the compression coil spring 11 weakens, but at the same time, the rotation torque generated by the cover unit 80 around the rotation shaft 6 also weakens, and the shaft portion 10 bends.
The cover unit 8
Since the elastic force of the compression coil spring 11 exceeds the rotational torque of 0, the cover unit 80 is stably held in this open position, and does not naturally close even when the hand is released.

When the cover unit 80 is closed, the slider 9 is forced to slide in the opposite direction to the elastic force of the compression coil spring 11, so that the frictional force between the shaft portion 10 and the bending portion 4 is also increased. In addition, it is possible to prevent the original pressure plate 8 from closing abruptly as much as possible. Further, the cover unit 80 can be stopped at an intermediate open angle at which the torque generated around the rotary shaft 6 and the elastic force of the compression coil spring 11 are balanced, and can be stably held at this position.

With the opening / closing operation of the cover unit 80, the slider 9 urged to move in one direction by the compression coil spring 11 is guided by the bending portion 4 via the shaft portion 10 and slides back and forth, so that the cover unit 80 is moved. It controls the opening / closing operation of.

FIG. 9 shows the hinge device 20 when the book 12 is placed on the book platen 24 and the cover unit 80 is closed.
FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the original is thick like the book 12, the book 12 is placed on the book platen 24 provided on the main body unit 90 side and the cover unit 80 is closed. According to the principle, the fitting portion 17 slides above the hinge receiving portion 18 of the main body unit 90 so that the hinge mounting member 2 together with the spring support member 7 and the cover unit 80.
Is operated so that the closed cover unit 80 becomes horizontal with respect to the book 12.

As described above, the hinge receiving portion 18 is formed with a diameter size larger than the diameter size of the fitting portion 17 in order to receive the fitting portion 17 and allow it to slide easily. Therefore, when the cover unit 80 is closed, the diameter of the hinge receiving portion 18 is large, so that a gap is formed and rattling occurs. In the case of moving document reading, the reading position is in a narrow range in the sub-scanning direction. If the cover unit 80 is closed due to backlash, the original document traveling position is displaced from the reading position. The conveyed document cannot be read correctly. The focus may be out of focus or the read image may be cut off.

In the present invention, the rotary shaft 6, which is a positioning engaging portion, is always rotatably supported by the positioning engaging portion 16 having a U-shaped or V-shaped concave portion, and its position is fixed. Therefore, the closed position of the cover unit 80 does not change. The cover unit 80 can be closed so that the document reading surface is always located at the specified reading position.

Further, when a still original such as a thick original is read, the cover unit 80 can be moved up and down while keeping the cover unit 80 parallel to the upper surface of the main body unit 90 according to the thickness of the original. When the stationary document is read, there is no positional deviation of the cover unit 80 with respect to the main body unit 90, and high quality image data can be acquired.

In the above description, the support device 22 is formed separately from the main body unit 90, but the support device 22 may be formed integrally with the main body unit 90.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, at least one of the hinge device main body 21 and the supporting device 22 is provided with an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the supporting position.

A mechanism for adjusting the lower limit position of the cover unit 80 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the support device 22 that supports the hinge device main body 21 includes a pair of positioning support members 15 having a recess 16 that is a positioning guide portion. A position regulating member 45 is fitted on the rotating shaft 6 guided by the recess 16, and the lower end thereof is joined to the joining support position 47 of the support device 22. The position regulating member 45 has an eccentric circular washer shape, and a hole is formed in the central portion of the eccentric circle so that the rotating shaft 6 can be fitted therein. The position regulating member 45 is provided with a screw hole for fixing the adjusted position so as to reach the surface of the rotating shaft 6. Since the position restricting member 45 has an eccentric circle shape, the distance from the center to the periphery of the circle changes by rotating. Therefore, by rotating the position regulating member 45, the distance from the center of the fitted rotating shaft 6 to the joining support position 47 provided on the support device 22 changes.

For position adjustment, the position regulating member 45 is rotated and stopped at a desired height position, and the screw 46 is tightened and fixed. By this adjustment, the height of the lowest limit position can be finely adjusted with the cover unit 80 closed, and a clear image can be obtained.

Next, a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a modification of the positioning guide portion. In the above-described embodiment, the rotary shaft 6 which is the positioning engagement portion in
Although a U-shaped or V-shaped concave portion 16 is shown as a positioning guide portion for supporting, the positioning support member 15 is provided with an elongated hole-shaped opening portion 19 instead of the concave portion 16. Also in this embodiment, the rotary shaft 6 can rotate within the slotted opening 19. Further, the rotating shaft 6 can slide up and down within the slotted opening 19.

When a book having a thickness larger than the specified thickness is placed on the book platen 24 and the cover unit 80 is closed, the rotary shaft 6 may be separated from the U-shaped or V-shaped concave portion 16. is there.

In this embodiment, the rotary shaft 6 can restrict upward movement of a predetermined distance or more. The hinge device main body 21 can be stopped at the upper side in the elongated hole-shaped opening 19 so as not to slide out beyond the length of the fitting portion 17 inserted in the hinge receiving portion 18.
Further, it is restricted by the slotted opening portion 19 and does not shift to the left and right.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the embodiment described above, the rotary shaft 6 is used as the positioning engagement portion, and the recess 16 provided in the positioning support member 15 of the support device 22 is used as the positioning guide portion.
As described above, the mounting member 2 of the hinge main body 20 is provided with the positioning support member 41 having the U-shaped or V-shaped recess 40 as the positioning guide portion, and the positioning member is engaged with the recess 40 and guided to the positioning position. A supporting device 43 having a joint 42 is attached to the main body unit 90.

Therefore, according to the present invention, a positioning engaging portion is provided on either the hinge device main body or the supporting device, and a positioning guide portion for guiding the positioning engaging portion to a predetermined position when the hinge device descends is provided on the other side. Good.

Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment,
Although the elongated receiving hole is shown as the hinge receiving portion 18 provided in the main body unit 90, and the rod is shown as the fitting portion 17 that fits with the hinge receiving portion 18 and can slide up and down in the hinge receiving portion 18, FIG. The protruding rod 53 is provided on the upper surface of the main body unit 90 as a hinge receiving portion,
A ring-shaped fitting portion 54 fitted to the rod 53 may be provided as a fitting portion.

That is, the hinge device 5 of this embodiment
Reference numeral 0 is composed of a hinge device main body 51 and a support device 52, and the hinge device main body is fitted with a rod 53 as a hinge receiving portion provided in the main body unit 90, and a ring-shaped fitting portion 54 that slides vertically. The hinge unit 55 is fixed to the cover unit 80, and the rotating shaft 56 that pivotally supports the hinge mounting unit 55 with respect to the ring-shaped fitting unit 54 so that the hinge mounting unit 55 can perform a hinge operation. Then, the hinge device main body 51
A protrusion-shaped positioning engaging portion 57 is provided on either one of the supporting device 52 and the supporting device 52, and a V-shaped or U-shaped member that guides the positioning engaging portion 57 to a predetermined position when the hinge device body 51 descends on the other.
A positioning guide portion 58 formed of a letter-shaped recess is provided. Therefore, the ring-shaped fitting portion 54 fits on the rod 53 and slides up and down, and, for example, the positioning guide portion 58 and the positioning engagement portion 57 formed on the ring-shaped fitting portion 54 fit together. Therefore, the lower limit position and the front and rear positions do not shift.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an overall sectional view of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the cover unit is opened with respect to the main body unit about the hinge device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the first embodiment of the hinge device.

FIG. 4 shows a view in which a supporting device of a hinge device body is supported.

5 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

6 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an example of a supporting device.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a state in which a cover unit is opened.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view when the book is placed on the book platen and the cover unit is closed.

FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment of the hinge device.

FIG. 11 shows a third embodiment of the hinge device.

FIG. 12 shows a fourth embodiment of the hinge device.

FIG. 13 shows a fifth embodiment of the hinge device.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Mounting member 2a Side plate 5 Curved cam member 6 Rotating shaft 9c Guide elongated hole 10 Shaft part 11 Compression coil springs 13, 14 Base plate, 15 Side plate (positioning support member) 16 Recessed part (positioning guide part) 17 Fitting part 18 Hinge reception Part 20 Hinge Device 21 Hinge Device Main Body 22 Support Device 23 Sheet Through Platen (Platen for Moving Original) 24 Book Platen (Platen for Still Original) 80 Cover Unit (ADF) 90 Main Unit 100 Image Processing Device

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2C061 AP04 CD07 CD11 CD13                 2H012 CB12                 2H071 AA08 AA14 AA15 AA18 AA19                       AA34 AA38                 2H076 BA08 BA17 BA24 BA35 BA36                       BA47 BA52                 5C062 AA05 AB17 AB30 AC66 AD02                       AD06 BA00

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A hinge device for supporting a cover unit to be openable and closable with respect to a main body unit, the hinge device being fitted to a hinge receiving portion provided in the main body unit,
A fitting portion that is vertically slidable in the hinge receiving portion, a hinge mounting portion that is fixed to the cover unit, and a rotation shaft that pivotally supports the hinge mounting portion with respect to the fitting portion. And, when the lower surface of the cover unit is closed to the closed position in contact with the upper surface of the main body unit, engages with a positioning support member provided in the main body unit to move to the positioning position. A hinge device provided with a positioning engagement portion to be guided. 2. The hinge device according to claim 1, wherein the positioning engagement portion engages with a recess provided in the positioning support member. 3. The hinge device according to claim 1, wherein the positioning engagement portion is supported by an elongated hole-shaped opening provided in the positioning support member. 4. The hinge device according to claim 2, further comprising height adjusting means for adjusting a lower limit position of a fitting portion which is vertically slidable with respect to the hinge receiving portion. Hinge device. 5. The hinge device according to claim 2, wherein both ends of the rotation shaft are configured to engage with the positioning support member, and the rotation shaft also serves as the positioning engagement portion. 6. A hinge device for supporting a cover unit in an openable and closable manner with respect to a main body unit, and a hinge device main body having a fitting portion that fits up and down with respect to a hinge receiving portion provided in the main body unit. A supporting device provided on the main body unit for positioning the lowered hinge device main body at a predetermined position, and a positioning engaging portion is provided on one of the hinge device main body and the supporting device, and the other on the other side. A hinge device comprising a positioning guide part for guiding the positioning engagement part to a predetermined position when the hinge device body is lowered. 7. The hinge device main body has a rotation shaft that supports the cover unit to be openable and closable, and one of the positioning engagement portion and the positioning guide portion is provided on the rotation shaft. The hinge device according to claim 6, which is characterized in that 8. The hinge device according to claim 6, wherein the positioning guide portion includes a U-shaped or V-shaped concave portion that guides the positioning engagement portion to a predetermined position. 9. The hinge device according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the hinge device main body and the support device is provided with an adjusting mechanism for adjusting a support position. 10. A hinge device attached to an image reading device for reading an image of a document, the hinge device being openably and closably attached to the image reading device via the hinge device, the document being read from the image reading device. In a document feeding device for conveying, a hinge device main body having a fitting part for fitting the hinge device to a hinge receiving part provided in the image reading device so as to move up and down, and is attached to the image reading device. A supporting device for positioning the lowered hinge device main body at a predetermined position, a positioning engaging portion is provided on one of the hinge device main body and the supporting device, and the other is provided when the hinge device main body is lowered. An original document feeding device characterized by comprising a positioning guide part for guiding the positioning engagement part to a predetermined position. 11. An image processing apparatus in which a document feeding device for feeding a document to an image reading device for reading an image of a document is attached via a hinge, wherein the hinge device is provided in the image reading device. A hinge device main body having a fitting part that fits up and down with respect to the hinge receiving part, and a supporting device that is provided in the image reading device and positions the lowered hinge device main body at a predetermined position, One of the hinge device body and the supporting device is provided with a positioning engagement portion, and the other is provided with a positioning guide portion for guiding the positioning engagement portion to a predetermined position when the hinge device body is lowered. Image processing device.